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Sam Cassell Provides an Emotional Rescue
It’s not conveyed in falsetto fashion, like Mick Jagger’s back in 1980. Instead, Sam Cassell’s punctuation-free, non-stop words jacknife out of his mouth in a muddier, garbled baritone. Listening with eyes closed, it’s easy to picture his voice belonging to an old blues musician (albeit one obsessed with roundball). It’s only fitting that Sam Cassell’s pitch smacks of John Lee Hooker, since blues are all about soul, which is exactly what “Sam I Am” provides for this Los Angeles Clippers squad.
Under the best of circumstances, a playoff spot in the brutal Western Conference could be tough for the Los Angeles Clippers to score. But with All-Star power forward Elton Brand out indefinitely after an offseason ruptured Achilles and point guard Shaun Livingston hoping for a best-case-scenario February return from an ‘07 knee dislocation, a repeat of their surprise 2006 semi-finals appearance feels like a pipe dream. Truth be told, your average NBA analyst expects the Clips to tank harder than ”Evan Almighty.” Tell that to Sam Cassell, however, and you’ll be met with some cheerful dissension.
“I’m looking forward to this. It’s going to be a fun year.”
For Sam Cassell, the uphill battle equals a call to arms, the impetus to resume a familar role of “squad pulse.” He refers to himself as the Los Angeles Clippers’ emotional leader, an assessment teammates would never dispute. And it’s a title that comes rather chatty. When acknowledging the leadership he and others must provide in Elton Brand’s absence, veteran forward Corey Maggette knows fully well that one guidance style has already been claimed.
“I’ll leave the talking to Sam.”
Sam Cassell’s voice will be a sound for sore ears after an injury-riddled 2007 brought out an uncharacteristic quiet- relatively speaking- from the fourteen-year veteran. According to Elton Brand, frequent time spent in street clothes left Sam Cassell asserting himself less often. “He didn’t feel comfortable leading by firing up the troops, because he wasn’t playing as much.” And when Sam Cassell did play, he was often a shell of himself, his effectiveness limited by a bad hamstring, a balky back and, in particular, a strained abdominal muscle that turned getting out of bed into a chore and forced him to ponder hanging up his sneaks for good during the offseason.
Upon deciding to continue playing, he underwent an intense core strengthening workout, determined to never suffer that injury again. “Go get Gunner Peterson’s workout book and look at it. Everything he did, we damn near tried it.” Sam Cassell feels as good as when he joined the Los Angeles Clippers in 2005, and the refueled version couldn’t come a minute too soon. “Everyone knows he’s the key to this team,” says Corey Maggette. “We need him on the floor. We need his leadership and what he brings to this team.”
One of those items brought is a whole lotta volume. Want a sneak preview of whose ear drums in particular will get worked? Try forward Tim Thomas, who Sam Cassell wants to see in “good” version form. The version who lit up opponents from March-June 2006 in Phoenix (as opposed to “career underachiever” version, which led to being banished by the Bulls for the opening four months of that same season). “If Tim can be the Tim that I know he can be, he’ll be fine,” insists Sam Cassell, who plans to set up his former Bucks teammate with gobs of pick and roll opportunities. ”Tim’s gotta shoot the basketball.”
Center Chris Kaman, coming off the most disappointing season of his young career, better prepare for 82 games of tough love as well. “He has talent out of this world. I don’t think he realizes how much talent he has.” The seven footer will be counted on heavily as the team’s best low post presence, a fact Sam Cassell is more than happy to reiterate. “If he feels there’s no pressure on him, I’m sorry to tell him, but there is pressure on him. I will be the first to say, “Where’s Chris at?” Sam Cassell’s also the first to praise Chris Kaman for being humble enough to play in the Summer League, an activity typically reserved for rookies or those trying to work their way back into the L, not guys with guaranteed contracts worth more than $50,000,000. “I respect him for just going,” says Sam Cassell, who admits he wouldn’t have done the same. “I might come to Vegas. I might be at the crap table. But I won’t be in no Thomas and Mack (Center) playing no damn basketball. It’s too hot.” Keeping with the Sin City theme, does Sam Cassell think Chris Kaman’s up to softening Elton Brand’s absence? “Let’s roll the dice,” he says with a sly grin. “I’ll bet with him.”
But lest Thomas and Chris Kaman feel singled out, nobody on this club should picture themselves exempt from a Sam Cassell talking-to, especially on the heels of an effort Sam Cassell felt wasn’t nearly up to snuff. “I don’t think we played as hard (last season) as we were supposed to play,” admits Sam Cassell with little coaxing. It’s a sticking point for Sam Cassell, since he figures elbow grease will be the key to any noise made.
“I’ll dictate our season right now. If our team plays harder than our opponents, we will definitely be in the playoffs. It ain’t about X’s and O’s with us. It’s about, can our team play harder than our opponents night in and night out like we did the year before last? It was like, “You might be more talented than us as a team, but you’re not gonna outplay us.” If Sam Cassell’s teammates will also commit to doing the dirty work and little things, he’s confident they can hang with any team for three quarters. From there, the man with a still-deadly mid range jumper and a propensity for clutch shots and celebratory “big testicle dances” vows to return the favor.
“Just get me in the fourth quarter up two or down two and I think I can make the play.”
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